We have 86,400 seconds each day to accomplish so much. Just think, the average person, Barack Obama, Beyoncé, and Bill Gates each have the same 86,400 seconds every day. Many people might have giggled at the analogy, but the first step of maximizing your day is understanding that your day can be maximized without the cost being lack of physical and mental wellbeing. Granted, the average person usually has daily tasks that are different from public figures and the average person does not have a professional or personal assistant, yet we all still have the same 24 to achieve our goals. And, the fact of the matter is that we actually experience the entire 24 hours of each day. Let’s assume the daily itinerary of a college student for example (we are easy to pick on).
12 am – 8 am: Sleep (assuming the student gets the suggested 8 hours of rest)
8 am – 9 am: Up and At ‘Em to get ready for the day
(The average commuting time for adults is 25 minutes each day/back and forth)
9:30 am – 12 pm: Combination of Classes
12 pm – 2 pm: Break for Lunch and rest
2 pm – 4 pm: Combination of Classes
4 pm – 5 pm: Travel in traffic
5 pm – 10 pm: Part-time Job
(The average commuting time for adults is 25 minutes each day)
10:30 pm – 12 am: Arrive home and get ready for next 24
This seems like a jam-packed schedule and that it is, but are the 16 hours left after slumber, productive and meaningful? Did you keep up with your daily commitments? Keep those thoughts in mind as you tackle your day. The POWER of THE 24 is foundational in making daily life efficient and impactful.
Accept the stress, then conquer the stress.
Stress is often seen as a negative thing, but stress can be neutral. Just think, would things be as stressful if you were adaptable and flexible as you encounter tough situations? The first thing it takes to conquer stress is to accept the stress head on, understand that stress is a part of life, and accepting that some days will be extremely stressful. I like to use the equation: Success = Preparation + ½ (Stressed Out Mind) + Strategic Execution. While stress may not be fun or ideal, I’m sure you can think of a time that your stress ultimately paid off for you to achieve your goals. It is best you know your triggers, intensities, and coping mechanisms for stress. Once you understand the major triggers for your stress, you will be able to adopt coping skills that help you lower your stress and anxiety when it does arise. When you think coping mechanism, don’t only think how you can cope after a stressful event. Coping mechanisms can be done to prevent stressful times. The fluctuation of stress throughout THE 24 may seem tough and it is totally reasonable to feel this, but ACCEPTANCE of stress will lead you to CONQUER the stress (which will maximize your 24 by making sure to adapt and not dwell on the not so highlighted parts of your day.)
Set daily goals.
One of the most important ways to make THE 24 as productive as possible is to plan and prioritize to achieve. People usually think about setting goals that may happen in 3 months, 1 year, or 10 years, but the truth of the matter is that daily goals make the day structured even for the most unorganized or free-spirited person. Written to-do list or an app on your cell phone can ease the stress that comes with day-to-day living. If you need gas for your car, make a daily goal to get gas and put air in your tire. If you need groceries, set a time, store, and make a list of all you need. If you have a homework assignment due next week, make a daily task to look over the directions even if you don’t start. If you haven’t spoken to your loved ones in a few days or even a few weeks, make a daily goal to make a five to ten-minute call. Take the trash out. So many day-to-day tasks get thrown to the wayside simply because the human brain can only store a thought in short term memory for 30 seconds. An effective way to keep up with your thoughts is to jot them down and rank them in priority. Nothing feels better than accomplishing a goal and having a feeling of achievement each 24!
Emotional/Mental/Physical Wellbeing
One of the easiest ways to become detached from your daily goals is to not feel good. You can have an empty stomach, a stressed mind, or a sore muscle. No matter the strain, it can seem almost impossible to get through our days sometimes when we just. Don’t. Feel. Ourselves. And, this is for good reason. Our bodies ability to function and be productive is just as much biological as it is psychological. EAT throughout THE 24! Know yourself, know the daily tasks you must complete, and plan ahead. If you will be in a meeting from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm, plan to wake up and make sure you eat breakfast and take a snack. Physical weakness prevents production and effectiveness which influences the mind’s ability to focus and accomplish so EAT EACH DAY AND EAT in variable schedules (Eat multiple times a day. Stick with breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner). Also throughout the day, STRETCH! Not everyone has exercising on their daily goal lists, but our bodies need to be mobile and prepared and that is hard to do if you barely move your body. So, your back, arms, legs, and any other body part you find suitable, STRETCH! Lastly, as a global community we are failing in our response to mental and emotional wellbeing. While it is important that you allow the day to take its natural course, it is even more important to find a coping skill to get you through the day. Whether you are sitting in rush hour traffic and were late to work, you failed an exam, or you are picking up someone’s slack at work, keep your mentality and emotions flowing YET IN CHECK! Remember RESPOND, Don’t REACT to daily mental and emotion stressors.
Collaborating with Others
There is so much power in collective numbers. If you are married, have a sibling, or just a BFF, you understand how important it is to collaborate with those you trust. Most of the time you are provided with insight and a different perspective. It is extremely necessary to collaborate with others throughout the day. Interpersonal interactions are often subdued due to the possibility of conflict. However, the possibility of conflict should not deter you from growing each day through the knowledge you can gain from others. Collaborating with others doesn’t have to be a work project or finding a way to solve your relationship problems. Instead, collaborating can be something as easy as assisting the bagger at the grocery store or having your payment ready to go. Collaborating might not even have a conversation element to it. Collaborating could simply be you making sure to put on your turn signal for a car traveling behind you. When you think collaborating, think win-win for all involved and the accomplishment may be something as little as holding the elevator door for someone rushing (which you would probably want done for you) or learning from your dad how to put oil in your car, or it can be something as big as acing that group project in Chemistry. Collaborate with others throughout THE 24 and maximize how much knowledge you can acquire and how many goals you can achieve.
Daily Alone Time
What could be more important for you than taking care of you? When we think "me time," we usually think being pampered and indulgent. "Me time" can be done for as little or long as needed throughout the day, but the most crucial aspect to "me time" success is being conscientious and purposeful in your pursuits. Whether you eat lunch alone, take a short walk around your office building, or relax with a mani-pedi, nothing else will allow you to tackle the day without a moment of fresh air... alone. Your daily alone time may not be specific or over the top plans to enjoy yourself, it could be turning down the radio on the ride home and taking some time to debrief about your day (Try the sandwich method if your day hasn’t been going so well. Come up with one success, one "failure," and end with one more success). Sometimes we get so wrapped up in all that we didn’t accomplish or what didn’t go right that we tend to unnecessarily scold ourselves. Taking some daily time to yourself is necessary to get through THE 24 and it takes some conscious effort, but great benefits you will see. In order to be successful and structured in gaining full power of THE 24, YOU must take time for YOU each day!
The Limitations
The POWER of THE 24 is detailed for the purposes of maximizing potential through maximizing the ultimate non-renewable resource, TIME! Once the POWER of THE 24 is understood, then it is extremely important to understand the limitations of THE 24 along with the importance of a daily pacing method to succeed within each 24. And while making EACH 24 meaningful, it is worth much to understand that the world does not have to be saved in just 86,400 seconds (BUT you can make strategic steps each day that will save the world.) It is not effortless, but very possible. As important to note that THE 24 is unique and different, it is just as important to note that there just may be another 24 to gain complete POWER of THE 24!
When you get home to debrief on THE 24, this should be you!
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Peace,
CO
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I Never Chose the Easy Path; I Always Chose Hardship
From the earliest memories I can recall, life presented me with two roads. One was smooth, inviting, and well-trodden—a path that promised comfort, approval, and ease. The other was rough, rocky, and uncertain—a path of struggle, obstacles, and lessons that demanded effort, patience, and resilience. I never chose the smooth road. I never took shortcuts. Not because I was fearless, but because something deep inside refused to let me live a life that wasn’t earned. The easy path whispered promises of fleeting satisfaction, fleeting success, and fleeting recognition. It was tempting. Many around me chose it, and I often wondered if I was foolish for ignoring it. But I learned early that true growth is rarely convenient. The easiest choice often leads to emptiness, to regret, to a quiet knowing that you could have been more than you allowed yourself to be. Hardship became my teacher long before success ever noticed me. The lessons it offered were harsh, uncompromising, and often lonely. There were days when choosing the hard path felt like choosing isolation. While others were celebrated for small accomplishments, supported by friends and family, I walked in silence, with doubt as my companion. Progress was invisible to the world. Failures were frequent and relentless. Many nights, I returned home tired, my heart heavy, my mind questioning why I even bothered. Yet even in that silence, I was being shaped. I was learning the value of persistence, of dedication, and of refusing to give up on myself. The hard path forced honesty. It refused to allow excuses. It stripped away illusions and pretenses. I was left face-to-face with my limits, my fears, and my own humanity. On this path, I discovered strengths I never knew I had: patience I had never cultivated, resilience I had doubted, and self-respect that grew every time I stood up instead of walking away. These were not lessons that could be taught in comfort. They were only learned in struggle, in challenge, and in the quiet persistence of refusing to quit when no one was watching. I remember one time vividly. I had a goal that seemed impossible—one that required me to sacrifice comfort, leisure, and social approval. The easy path was right there: a way to avoid the challenge, to be “okay,” to follow what others had done before me. Many advised me to take it. “It’s safer,” they said. “It’s simpler,” they said. But I could feel, deep inside, that taking the easy way would leave me empty. I chose the hard path. The journey was grueling. Every step felt like pushing against gravity. But with each challenge, I gained more than I ever would have on the easy road. I gained endurance, confidence, and an understanding that real achievement is never handed—it is earned. Strength, I realized, isn’t loud. It doesn’t announce itself. It grows quietly, in the moments no one sees—the early mornings, the long nights, the repeated failures, the times you push forward when giving up would be understandable. Resilience is not simply surviving; it is deliberately choosing to continue, to stand again, to pursue the path that tests you the most. It is knowing that walking away is easier but will never lead to the person you are capable of becoming. I have walked many hard roads in life. Each one was different, yet the lessons were the same: comfort cannot teach endurance, shortcuts cannot teach discipline, and fleeting success cannot teach respect. Every struggle, no matter how small, adds to your character. Every failure is a mirror that shows you who you really are. And every choice to face hardship instead of fleeing builds a foundation that lasts long after temporary victories fade. There were times when I felt truly alone. People around me often misunderstood my choices. Friends, family, colleagues—they all questioned why I refused the easy way, why I worked harder, why I pushed myself beyond what seemed necessary. They didn’t see the growth happening quietly inside me. They didn’t see the small victories, the lessons learned, the resilience being forged. But eventually, the results spoke for themselves—not in a loud announcement, but in the quiet confidence and self-respect that I had built from the inside out. Life, I have learned, rewards those who endure hardship. Not always immediately. Not always visibly. But it rewards those who persist, who face struggle head-on, and who refuse to settle for anything less than becoming their fullest selves. Success that comes without effort is temporary; strength and self-respect are eternal. Hardship tests us, but it also teaches us. It shows us the depth of our own courage, the strength of our will, and the power of refusing to surrender. The lessons of the hard path are subtle, often invisible, and always lasting. I learned that failing is not shameful; failing is a necessary step toward mastery. I learned that enduring pain, even when no one notices, builds a type of strength that comfort never can. I learned that the more difficult the path, the deeper the reward—not measured in wealth or fame, but in character, wisdom, and self-respect. Every choice to embrace struggle instead of avoiding it shaped me. Every sacrifice, every extra hour, every moment of doubt faced instead of ignored, added to the foundation of the person I am today. My life was not easy. It was messy, unpredictable, and often overwhelming. But it was authentic. It was mine. And through hardship, I became resilient. I became someone who can face challenges without fear because I have faced them before. I became someone who respects themselves because I have honored my own effort. I became someone capable of growth because I refused to choose comfort over character. I often reflect on the people around me who chose the easy path. Many of them achieved quick victories, immediate recognition, and temporary peace. But over time, I noticed something important: the victories were shallow, the peace fleeting, and the growth minimal. They lacked the depth of resilience, the quiet power of self-respect, and the profound satisfaction that comes from knowing you endured, you learned, and you became someone stronger. Choosing hardship is not glamorous. It is not celebrated in real-time. It is often lonely, exhausting, and demanding. But it is transformative. It shapes your mind, your heart, and your spirit in ways comfort never can. It teaches discipline, patience, humility, and courage. It makes failure meaningful, effort valuable, and success earned. The hard path is where true people are made—people who understand that life’s challenges are not punishments, but opportunities. Opportunities to become better, stronger, wiser, and more capable. I never chose the easy path. I always chose the harder road, the one that tested me, the one that demanded effort, and the one that required me to face myself honestly. I walked through fear, doubt, exhaustion, and setbacks. I fell, and I got up. I failed, and I tried again. I cried, I questioned, I endured. And through it all, I became someone I could respect, someone who knew the value of persistence, someone who understood that hardship is not the enemy—it is the greatest teacher. Today, I measure success differently. I do not measure it by comfort, convenience, or ease. I measure it by growth, resilience, and the depth of self-respect I have cultivated. I measure it by how I faced challenges I could not ignore, how I embraced struggles that seemed unbearable, and how I refused to take shortcuts at the cost of my own becoming. I never chose the easy path. I chose the one that made me resilient. I chose the one that taught me self-respect. I chose the one that allowed me to become the person I am today. And if I had the choice again, I would choose the hard path every single time. Because the road of struggle is not only a journey—it is the making of a human being.writing...
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Wild Card Weekend Recap: What Happens Now?
I think I figured out why I love Wild Card Weekend so much. It's because it's the first playoff anything of the calendar year. The NFL season starts in the fall, and once upon a time, the champion was crowned either on or slightly before New Year's. The evolution of the NFL schedule has resulted in the playoffs starting just into the New Year, and currently, the final week of the season falls on the first weekend of the New Year, with Wild Card Weekend coming a week after that. So yes, chronologically, the NFL's Wild Card Weekend serves as the first playoff anything of the calendar year.
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